Parking Lot Good for Business and Environment

The Delray Beach CRA has built a new 14-space "green" parking lot in the Pineapple Grove Arts District. With of pervious pavers, LED lighting, and low-volume irrigation, the lot provides parking for nearby businesses and incorporates public art.

Wrapped by shrubs and carpeted by pavers, the new public lot is resolving parking woes in a car-clogged corner of Pineapple Grove in downtown Delray Beach.

It is also reducing pollution, energy costs and emission of greenhouse gases.

The 14-space lot in the 300 block of Northeast Third Avenue is green, consisting of pervious pavers, decorative LED lighting, and low-volume irrigation, according to the Delray Beach Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) which built the lot.

CRA officials expect to use similar green construction techniques in other future parking and building projects.

We are known for improving physical conditions, but theres no reason why we cant incorporate environmental sustainability into projects, said Elizabeth Butler, the CRAs marketing and grants coordinator.

Cities across the country are building green parking lots to reduce water runoff and protect waterways from dirt and petroleum that come from standard water-shedding, heat-reflecting pavement lots.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency last year began investigating new ways to further reduce pollution runoff from paved surfaces. Pollution from those surfaces puts undo stress on water infrastructure, especially in dense, populated urban areas, the agency said.

The $120,000 lot, approved by the CRA in September, is nearing completion by the builder, All-Site Construction. For many residents, merchants and customers in constant search for parking spaces amid rows of warehouses, repair shops, eateries, apartments, and other small businesses, the lot is long overdue.

I cant park in front of my business on many days because there are cars everywhere around here, said Melissa Morgan, who works at Ashleys Florist next to the lot. This lot is certainly going to help.

The lot, just south of Lake Ida Road, has a courtyard, benches, a bike rack, and several spots to display sculptures and other art.

Located in the Pineapple Grove Arts District, the lots street art will integrate Northeast Third Avenue into the district where new studios, galleries and events are being added to draw tourists and boost the local economy.

Still, the primary goal of the new lot is to provide parking for businesses and customers in the area.

If were going to fill business vacancies, theres going to be more demand for customer parking, Butler said. We want the district to have an atmosphere conducive to business.

Over the years, the CRA has built and contributed to numerous public parking lots in the downtown and residential neighborhoods.

That includes contributing $334,000 toward the construction of the citys first public parking garage on Southwest First Avenue next to the South County Courthouse and Delray Beach Public Library. The agency also acquired property needed for the construction of a 525-space public parking garage just east of the Old School Square campus, and set aside $6.5 million for the garages construction costs.

Like other parking lots, the City of Delray Beach will maintain the new lot on Northeast Third Avenue.

About the Delray Beach CRA

The mission of the Delray Beach CRA is to foster and directy assist in the redevelopment of the Community Redevelopment Area in order to eliminate blight, create a sustainable downtown and encourage economic growth, thus improving the attractiveness and quality of life for the benefit of the CRA District and the City of Delray Beach as a whole.

Contact

Follow

Cookie Control

This site uses some unobtrusive cookies to store information on your computer.

Some cookies on this site are essential, and the site won't work as expected without them.
These cookies are set when you submit a form, login or interact with the site by doing something that goes beyond clicking on simple links.

We also use some non-essential cookies to anonymously track visitors or enhance your experience of the site.